D.O.P.-T.

[weofodthignen]

Yesterday evening, two people appeared who were trying to catch and neuter the cats, and turned out not to be aware of the earlier team. I noted that the ear-tipping that's been done is very hard to see, and described which cats who feed here have been neutered and tipped; unfortunately I haven't seen little Prudence since, so I can only hope they didn't recapture her. The guy, who at least looked like a long-haired aging geek, showed a cellphone pic of a calico that they'd captured after months of effort; it looked alarmingly like Mama Violet, but they said this one is much younger. I also sadly explained where the kittens have traditionally been, and they later sent the housemate a photo of three cowering in a crate. Poor things. They're on their way to the local no-kill shelter (Humane Society Silicon Valley; judging by the way Petco can't keep in stock the dogfood brand that shelter uses, a huge number of people in this town get their pets from there); I hope they foster well and find good homes. Today when I came out to put out more catfood for lunch, to my great relief Mama Violet was hanging around by the cars on the street, smouldering at me; and there was a collar around her neck!!! White, with some sort of electronic-appearing device on the front. Ultrasonic flea control? Tracking? Hopefully not a camera. I begged those people not to hurt Mama Violet. I was hoping she would continue to elude capture. But apparently someone has managed it. Maybe she's being claimed as an outdoor cat, in which case I'm just in awe of wheover gained that much of her trust as to be able to get a collar on her. Of course, they may now be in hospital.

PS: Telling me about the line or two that had gone missing in this post, the housemate also told me that is indeed a tracking collar, placed by the two we talked to after trapping and spaying poor Mama Violet. They had been insisting she was much younger than she is. Poor Mama Violet, such a good kitty mom, raises beautiful and deadly ratters.